Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-10-26

al rather suspect that there is some
young lady with whom you wish to
converse, said Walter, smiling.
John brushed his horid face with the
sleeve of his shirt, and, after q momen-
tary pause, said: '.May be it's so, and
may be it amt"
admit the truth of it, john" said
Walter. 'Is there not some young lady
in Bushville for whose sake you want
TO polish up your language?"
John turned his face to the wall and
said, in an awkward way: "Well,
then, what ef there was. an what eff she
lived in Bushville an her name was
Susie Black, could you help a Teller
any?'
Il might" said Walter. with 9
smile.
Then you've got the hull secret O.
my case"
''You want to cultivate your Ian
guage then, so that in conversing with
Miss Black you may cope with those
young men at Bushville.
That's list it." said John, turning
his face toward Walter. "Ye see them
Bushville chaps just take the shine out
O. a Teller that's been raised among
horses. oxen and mules"
"All right, john" Walter answered.
"NOw, in the first place. let me crit
icise you some in your pronunciation. !"
Hold on there" said John, what
do We mean by them big words?"
"Critlcise means to judge. to exam
inc and point out your faults"
eyes, in course" SAID John, who
hardly understood Walter yet.
"You are in the habit of calling q
girl gal"
'Ain't that rightT'
mo, you should never use it."
II won't then"
You seem deficient in grammar;
you frequently use the objective them
in the nominatIVe case"
Yes" s:iI John, laundering in n
sea of uncertainty as to the meaning of
his tutor.
"You do not seem to know that the
verb must agree with the noun ia num-
Der and person, and frequently use a
plural noun as subject and singular
verb"
Hold on. hold on" said John,
reaching out his hand despairingly.
I'm afraid ye're given me too big a
dose TO take all to onc't"
Why, I've not given you any thing
yet"
Then I'd better give it up. can't
learn all that in lifetime. 1 kin stand
sense talk, but when it comes to nouns
by plural and singular, cave in.
Pinkey kin learn all about them things,
but L never will; hate 'em. The
teacher logged me six times one day,
COS l didn't know what q noun was,
and I've hated the thing ever since.
Darn a noun, want nothing to do
with 'em."
Walter smiled and said: "But John
don't you love Susie Black?"
II do, by Jupiter, dor
"Will you not put yourself to some
inconvenience for her sakeP"
I'll will, YOU bet will"
''Do You not wish to speak as cor
rectly as those young fellows at Bush
vile, the clerks, the bankers and
school teachersP"
"Ya's."
Then why not tryP"
II will"
Walter now saw at once that Johns
teacher had made q mistake in giving
Linn abstract rules, so he commenced
20 give him object lessons. He showed
him the difference between false and
correct sentences, commencing with
the most simSle; 81 are" and II am"
were explained to John, and ''they
are" showing him practically that the
verb must sgree with the noun in
number. Then step by step, he
caught him without book until in a
few weeks there was a vast improve
ment in Johns pronunciation and
speech. He declared he would soon
DO able to talk as well as Pinkey.